Monday, July 07, 2003

Mitch Kapor's Weblog: Reflections on OSAF as an Organization

Mitch Kapor's Weblog: Reflections on OSAF as an Organization "Prior to forming Lotus in 1982, I had had a checkered career as a disc jockey, meditation teacher, and mental health worker, Never was I in serious danger of being named employee of the month. Generally speaking I had a bad attitude towards authority and regarded virtually all organizational structure as unnecessarily bureaucratic, dumb, and therefore generally oppressive.
When, unexpectedly, Lotus became an instant success (albeit with one of the world's least formally trained or experienced CEO's -- me), it seemed to me a golden opportunity to foster a corporate culture which would be less subject to the failings I found so irksome. I'm as proud of our accomplishments in this realm and as certain of their long-term impact as I am of the company's contributions to application software and its use.
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If we can demonstrate that it's possible to create great product under these conditions, and if we can continue to find a balance between the pragmatic necessities required to actually ship code and the idealistic values we profess, if we can find ways to integrate those values into our day-to-day process, then I think that will be a contribution on the order of whatever it is we actually produce as product."